Biodiversity Center Researchers

2018

makenziehajek

Makenzie Hajek

University of Southern California

Major: Art History

Spring 2019 – Fall 2019: Marine Biodiversity Center student

Fall 2018: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Fall 2017 – Spring 2018: Marine Biodiversity Center student

Makenzie is a sophomore getting a degree in Art History while also completing a pre-med track. She wants to pursue a career as a wildlife veterinarian focusing on large exotic animals (elephants, rhinos, giraffes, lions, etc.). In her free time, she loves horseback riding, traveling for the sake of interacting with the native wildlife, hiking with her dogs, swimming piers, reading literally everything and attempting to eat at every possible restaurant in L.A.

elizabethkim

Elizabeth Kim

University of Southern California

Major: Environmental Science and Health

Spring 2019: Marine Biodiversity Center student

Fall 2018: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Spring 2018: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Fall 2017: Marine Biodiversity Center intern

Elizabeth is a junior at the University of Southern California. She is majoring in Environmental Science and Health, with an emphasis in pre-health. She plans to pursue a career as an orthopedic doctor. In her free time she enjoys spending time outdoors, and loves to surf.

jayeshsharma

Jayesh Sharma

University of Southern California

Major: Neuroscience

Fall 2018: Marine Biodiversity Center student

Spring 2018: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Fall 2017: Marine Biodiversity Center student

Jayesh Sharma is a freshman majoring in Neuroscience at USC. He has a passion for research, in fields varying from Marine Biology to Stem Cell Regeneration. In his free time, he likes to game, read, and watch anime.

jessicacarillo

Jessica Carrillo

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Major: Biomedical Engineering

Fall 2018 – Fall 2019: Marine Biodiversity Center student

Spring 2018: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Spring 2017 – Fall 2017: Marine Biodiversity Center student

Fall 2016: Marine Biodiversity Center volunteer

Jessica is a sophomore at USC planning to major in Biomedical Engineering. She is a Latino Alumni Association Scholar, writer and social media chair for the online magazine Society.19, and works with USC Viterbi’s pre-college engineering program. She enjoys cooking and baking, spending time with friends and family, weight training, and making people laugh .

2016

jenniferpan

Jennifer Pan

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Major: Biomedical Engineering

Fall 2016 – Spring 2017: Marine Biodiversity Center volunteer

Fall 2015 – Spring 2016: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Spring 2015: Marine Biodiversity Center volunteer

Spring 2015: BioSCAN volunteer

Jennifer is a sophomore in Biomedical Engineering at USC. She is also a coffee addict and thinks museums are awesome. In her free time she likes to go running, try new restaurants in LA, and play video games.

2015

danahandy

Dana Handy

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Major: Environmental Studies

Spring 2015: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Fall 2014 – Spring 2015: BioSCAN student

Fall 2014 – Spring 2015: Marine Biodiversity Center student

In my experience at USC I have been able to study abroad in New Zealand, become a scientific SCUBA diver and do research in Guam and Palau. Outside of school my hobbies include rock climbing, snowboarding, hiking and camping. I am originally from San Diego and hope to return after I graduate in order to accomplish my Masters at Scripps Institute of Oceanography. I am very passionate about ocean conservation and hope to pursue a career in marine biodiversity and conservation or in environmental education.

markparaschuk

Mark Paraschuk

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Major: Computer Science and Business Administration

Fall 2014 – Fall 2015: Marine Biodiversity Center student

Spring 2015: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Fall 2014 – Spring 2015: BioSCAN student

Born Estonian, raised Russian, Mark Paraschuk brings the free-willing, European spirit to the lab. He is currently majoring in Computer Science/Business Administration at USC. He was drawn to the BioSCAN project by his love for the natural world and the prospect of participating in groundbreaking research regarding urban biodiversity. His interests vary far and wide, but a steady constant in his life is his love for tea and reading.

2014

lindsayhafen

Lindsay Hafen

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Major: Biological Sciences

Spring 2015 – Fall 2015: Marine Biodiversity Center volunteer

Spring 2014 – Fall 2014: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Spring 2014 – Fall 2014: BioSCAN research student

Summer 2013 – Fall 2013: Marine Biodiversity Center volunteer

Summer 2013 – Fall 2013: BioSCAN volunteer

Lindsay is studying biological sciences at the University of Southern California. She enjoys traveling, reading, painting and, of course, biology! She isn’t sure what her future career will be, but she has been inspired by the Natural History Museum and thinks it will have something to do with biology. Her favorite insect currently are European honey bees.

harleenmarwah

Harleen Marwah

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Major: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Spring 2013 – Fall 2014: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Spring 2013 – Fall 2014: BioSCAN research student

Harleen Marwah is a Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Major from Upland, CA. Harleen aspires towards medical school, and plans to use her voice as an M.D. to facilitate communication between the science, business, and policy worlds. At USC, Harleen works at the USC Office for Wellness and Health Promotion, serves as the Outreach Coordinator for Students Taking Action in the Name of Diversity, and serves as a co-founder and director of the undergraduate ambassador program for USC’s Keck School of Medicine. Through her research at the Natural History Museum, Harleen’s passion for environmental health and for bridging the gap between science and policy has grown. And of course, she has become an advocate for those adorable fairy shrimp.

jennifercamello

Jennifer Camello

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Major: Anthropology

Spring 2014 – Summer 2014: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Spring 2014 – Summer 2014: BioSCAN research student

Fall 2013: Marine Biodiversity Center volunteer

Fall 2013: BioSCAN volunteer

Jennifer is a junior majoring in Anthropology and hopes to one day become a pediatrician. She used to want to become a museum curator because she loves Ancient Greek artifacts and history, so maybe this position will sway her back to the museum life. She is fond of baking, global health, dark chocolate, tea, and traveling.

janiechen

Janie Chen

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Major: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Fall 2013 – Summer 2014: BioSCAN research student

Fall 2013 – Summer 2014: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Summer 2013: BioSCAN student

Summer 2013: Marine Biodiversity Center student

Janie is a freshman majoring in Health Promotion Disease Prevention. In her free time, she enjoys reading. Though it’s too hard for her to pick an absolute favorite, her favorite book of the moment is A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. Her dream is to become a coral reef gardener in Australia. Blind Pilot, Passion Pit, and TOKiMONSTA are tied for first place in her iTunes most played. If she could choose a superpower, she would choose to have the ability to speak every language in the world.

christinali

Christina Li

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Major: Biological Sciences

Spring 2013 – Summer 2014: BioSCAN student

Fall 2012 – Summer 2014: Marine Biodiversity Center student

Fall 2013 – Spring 2014: BioSCAN research student

Fall 2013 – Spring 2014: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Christina is a Biological Sciences major. She likes to watch dramas & movies in general in her spare time. Occasionally, she also likes to play the piano. She loves to be around animals, especially furry ones. She is volunteering at the Natural History Museum because it is a fun place to gain more experience in a field she had not previously considered.

edwinlee

Edwin Lee

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Major: Biological Sciences

Fall 2013 – Spring 2014: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Fall 2013 – Spring 2014: BioSCAN research student

Edwin is currently a junior studying Biological Sciences at University of Southern California. He enjoys hiking, swimming, and watching movies. He loves working with cool insects in the Nature Lab and aspires to work in medicine after graduation. He really hates celery. He is 20 years old, but still very much enjoys watching Cartoon Network.

nathannguyen

Nathan Nguyen

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Major: Biological Sciences

Fall 2013 – Spring 2014: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Fall 2013 – Spring 2014: BioSCAN research student

Nathan is a junior studying Biological Sciences with a minor in Italian. He plans to pursue a career in cosmetic and restorative dentistry. His hobbies include snowboarding, the beach, traveling, concerts, camping, fine dining, and just spending time with friends and family. He has a great passion for music and science.

2013

markfloro

Mark Floro

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Major: Biomedical Engineering

Spring 2013 – Summer 2013: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Mark is a junior majoring in Biomedical Engineering. Born and raised in Huntington Beach, Mark loves Southern California and going to the beach. He also enjoys watching movies and exploring Los Angeles. He hopes to learn important research skills by working in the Biodiversity Lab.

eddygiang

Eddy Giang

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Major: Biological Sciences

Spring 2013: BioSCAN research student

Spring 2013: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Fall 2012 – Spring 2013: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Eddy is a senior majoring Biological Sciences. His interest in the field of biology first started at a young age, hiking with his family and exploring rivers for any moving life forms. In his spare time, Eddy enjoys the outdoors, photography, traveling, and cooking.

2006

lauraponce

Laura A. Ponce

University of Hawaii, Hilo, HI

Summer 2006: NSF Decapoda research student

Summer 2006: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Laura is a senior at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, majoring in biology. As an REU intern during the summer of 2006, she enjoyed learning about isopod morphology, taking a multitude of SEM images, and finding strange parasitic isopods in her barnacles. She hopes to continue to pursue her interests in biological research by going on to graduate school, hopefully somewhere near the very awesome Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. Laura also enjoys spending time at the beach, relaxing with a good book, watching movies with her friends, discovering new music to rock out to, and finding interesting new places to see.

jeanchristophele

Jean Christophe Le

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Major: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Spring 2006: NSF Isopods research student

Spring 2006: Marine Biodiversity Center research student

Chris is a junior majoring in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Ever since he saw Jurassic Park as a kid, he was fascinated by the inner workings of a lab. Having a chance to get hands-on experience with invertebrates is broadening his biology experience. Chris is passionate about acting and modeling. He also practices and instructs martial arts. He is a black belt 3rd degree in Tae Kwon Do and recently began learning a new form of Chinese martial arts called Wushu Kung Fu.